In what's described as a first-of-a-kind study, researchers find
that unattractive workers are more likely be the target of cruel behavior by
co-workers.

By David Shadovitz

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Are
unattractive workers more likely to be on the receiving end of hostile and
abusive behavior by colleagues?

If we're
to believe the findings of a recent study by researchers at Michigan State
University and the University of Notre Dame, the answer is yes.

In an article
published in the latest edition of Human Performance, the researchers
report the findings of a recent study that showed unattractive workers are more
likely to be harassed and bullied by colleagues in their organization.

Appearance
matters, they conclude.

The
authors -- Brent Scott, associate professor of management at Michigan State
University, and Timothy A. Judge, professor at the University of Notre Dame –
surveyed 114 workers at a healthcare facility in the southeastern United States,
asking them how often their co-workers engaged in cruel behavior toward them
(including saying hurtful things, acting rudely and making fun of them).

Those
deemed unattractive, the researchers found, were treated much more harshly than
attractive employees, even when factors such as age, gender and tenure at the
healthcare facility were factored in. (People who didn't know them were asked
to rate their attractiveness from digital photos.)

"Although
we like to think that we're professional and mature in the workplace,"
says Scott, "it can be just like high school in many ways."

Scott
and Judge also explored how agreeable or friendly the workers were, based on
questionnaires completed by their spouses, partners and friends, finding
disagreeable workers are treated more harshly by their co-workers.

Knowing
the potential target of hurtful behavior could help managers monitor
susceptible employees and prevent them from becoming victims, Scott says.

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Gary Namie,
director of the Workplace Bullying Institute, suggests the researchers are confusing
workplace bullying with counterproductive work behavior.

By
focusing on the victims, he says, they're missing the point.

"WBI's
experience with the attractiveness of bullied targets is exactly the opposite
of the business school prediction," Namie says. "Often women targeted
for bullying are more attractive than their bullies. They are resented for
their appearance. The reason for targeting is the threat perceived by the
bully," such as jealousy or envy.

In
light of that, Namie believes employers should focus on the aggressor and the
work culture that encourages him or her, not the "victim," pointing
out that in the U.S. "most mistreatment is perpetuated by managers."